Fadeel Wehbe takes expanded Accor luxury leadership role in Saudi Arabia

Accor has appointed Fadeel Wehbe as Managing Director for Sofitel Legend, Sofitel, MGallery and Emblems across Saudi Arabia, while he continues to lead Sofitel Riyadh Hotel & Convention Centre.

Accor has expanded Fadeel Wehbe’s leadership responsibilities in Saudi Arabia, appointing him Managing Director for Sofitel Legend, Sofitel, MGallery and Emblems across the Kingdom.

Wehbe will take responsibility for the continued development and performance of the four luxury brands in Saudi Arabia while retaining his existing role as Managing Director of Sofitel Riyadh Hotel & Convention Centre. The appointment was announced by Mark Sawkins, Accor’s Vice President Operations for Sofitel, MGallery and Emblems across the Middle East, Türkiye and India.

The broader remit places Wehbe across a portfolio that is becoming increasingly important to Accor as Saudi Arabia develops its position as a global luxury hospitality market.

In his new role, he will work with hotel teams across the Kingdom to support brand development, operations and guest experience for Sofitel Legend, Sofitel, MGallery and Emblems.

Wehbe said the expanded appointment comes at an important point for luxury hospitality in Saudi Arabia and that he plans to build on the foundations already established across the brands.

From Sofitel Riyadh to a Kingdom-wide role

Wehbe joined Sofitel Riyadh Hotel & Convention Centre in 2025 ahead of the property’s opening.

The 388-room hotel opened in December 2025 in Riyadh’s Ar Rahmaniyyah district, becoming the first Sofitel in the Saudi capital. The property also includes more than 10,000 sq m of meetings and events space, alongside dining and wellness facilities.

Its launch formed part of a wider period of growth for Sofitel. Accor said earlier this year that close to 40 Sofitel hotels were planned globally, while identifying Saudi Arabia as being at the centre of the brand’s development momentum in the Middle East.

Wehbe will now take that experience beyond a single property.

His new portfolio includes not only Sofitel but also MGallery, Emblems and Sofitel Legend, giving him responsibility across several distinct interpretations of luxury within Accor’s brand architecture.

More than three decades in hospitality

Wehbe brings more than 30 years of international hospitality experience to the expanded position.

His career has included senior roles with The Ritz-Carlton, Fairmont, Pullman, Sheraton, Starwood and Marriott International across the Middle East and North Africa.

Before joining Sofitel Riyadh, he held multi-property responsibility for a portfolio of Marriott hotels in Dubai.

From 2023 until his move to Riyadh in 2025, he oversaw six properties across the Le Méridien, Aloft and Element brands, following an earlier role as General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre.

That Dubai cluster spanned 1,245 rooms, 29 food and beverage outlets and more than 1,200 associates from over 48 countries, giving Wehbe direct experience of running several brands, and several very different teams, at the same time. At The Ritz-Carlton DIFC he had led a property of 341 guest rooms and 130 branded residences.

His earlier Accor experience includes leadership of Pullman Dubai Jumeirah Lakes Towers between 2011 and 2018 and Fairmont Amman until 2020.

That combination of individual hotel leadership, multi-property operations and development experience provides a relevant background for a role spanning several brands and properties.

Saudi luxury pipeline gathers pace

The appointment comes as Accor continues to build its luxury pipeline in Saudi Arabia.

The pipeline includes Sofitel Jabal Omar Makkah, signed with Jabal Omar Development Company in October 2025. With 1,141 rooms and suites across two towers within walking distance of the Holy Mosque, it is set to become the world’s largest Sofitel when it opens.

Projects referenced within the current portfolio include the large-scale Sofitel Jabal Omar Makkah, alongside further MGallery development in Makkah.

The Kingdom is attracting increasing investment from international hotel groups as tourism, business travel and large-scale destination development continue to expand.

For Accor, that growth creates a need for leadership structures capable of supporting several brands simultaneously while maintaining clear positioning between them.

Sofitel, MGallery, Sofitel Legend and Emblems each target different areas of the luxury market, from established global luxury to collection-led and highly individual properties.

Wehbe’s wider remit therefore goes beyond operational oversight. It places him at the centre of how those brands develop their identities and presence in one of Accor’s most closely watched luxury markets.

The promotion also provides continuity.

Rather than bringing in a new regional executive, Accor is extending the responsibilities of a leader already operating one of its flagship Saudi properties and familiar with both the market and the group’s luxury portfolio.

As Accor’s luxury footprint in the Kingdom grows, Wehbe will now be responsible for translating that development pipeline into consistently positioned hotels across four brands.

What the role means for Accor’s Saudi teams

A Kingdom-wide remit across four luxury brands puts people leadership at the centre of the job. Each brand needs its own service style, yet the hotels draw on the same local talent market, where demand for experienced luxury hospitality staff is rising quickly as new projects open.

Wehbe’s background in leading multi-brand clusters, and in opening Sofitel Riyadh from pre-opening, is directly relevant to that challenge: building teams that can move between properties while keeping each brand distinct.

Source: Hotelier Middle East

Additional reporting: Safari India, Hospitality Net and Accor.